"Winning covers up a lot of things we probably stunk at," said Hill, who finished with a game-high 22 points. "We didn't do a good job of starting to fight in both halves. Of course, we responded well. ... If we do that against, say, Maryland or Purdue that may lose us the game."

It almost cost the Illini (6-5) against the Flames before a sparse crowd of 5,151 at the United Center.

UIC shot 47.6 percent from the field and made 55.6 percent of its shots in the second half. The Flames made 9 of 15 3-pointers, including a 7 of 10 effort in the second half. They took a five-point second-half lead with a 16-1 run with less than 10 minutes remaining and later went up by two with only 5:15 to play.

The Flames entered the game ranked 338th nationally among Division I teams with 25.6 percent shooting on 3s. They were ranked 336th at 37.3 percent overall from the field.

Groce said he was more concerned with the Flames' 32-24 points-in-paint advantage and 40-30 rebounding edge.

"We have to get that done by committee now, more so than we ever have," Groce said, noting that forward Leron Black sat out with knee soreness and Mike Thorne Jr. is likely out for the season with a knee injury.

Despite the tight game against the Flames (1-6), who owned a pregame RPI of 344, Groce said the team's ability to keep fighting was encouraging. The victory gave Illinois its first three-game winning streak of the season and put the team above .500 for the first time this season.

"I'm just really proud of our guys that we stayed the course and stayed positive," he said. "We're getting better. Some guys are getting better through the baptism by fire. I'm thrilled with the way they've been able to sustain their poise, their energy, being positive."

The crowd paled in comparison to those at the Champions Classic featuring four out-of-state teams last month. The game was the last of a six-game series between UIC and Illinois in games played at neutral-site Chicago arenas.

Groce said he would like to continue playing games at the United Center that would be more likely to draw larger crowds like previous seasons' games against Oregon and Auburn.

The Flames were led by freshmen Dikembe Dixson (20 points) and Dominique Matthews (18). Matthews scored 14 of UIC's first 15 points.

"It tells me the process is coming," said first-year UIC coach Steve McClain. "I've been here eight months. I'm trying to change a culture of losing for 10 years. It's not any fun right now. It ain't supposed to be fun. They started to become a better basketball team today."

A version of this article appeared in print on December 13, 2015, in the Sports section of the Chicago Tribune with the headline "Illini get away with a stinker - Hill leads way but says wins will be tougher to come by in Big Ten" —
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